Finnerty returns from these loftier reaches unscathed, allowing Honey to swing big without flying off the handle. Spread this one on your toast immediately.

Shabazz Palaces offer an ethereal conglomerate with a prophetic voice, a gutsy move that's more than paid off here.

By taking his time and falling in and out of love he ended up with I Know What Love Isn't, an album worth waiting another five years for.

Classic Objects ought to be weighed down by its thematic density, by its specificity and insistence on revealing its own ropes and pulleys. It's to Hval's immense credit that it feels airborne instead, the work of an artist operating at the height of her craft.

Converge have managed to once again best their only competition: themselves.

Fin serves as both introduction and transition.

With such a wealth of exposure in his musical upbringing, it's no surprise that this mix boasts the instrumental range that it does, not to mention such a precise and intuitively executed pace.

Bold and stirring, Darling of the Afterglow further establishes Lydia Ainsworth as a master of arrangement and melody, and pushes her just a few more inches toward the mainstream, where a larger, captivated following surely--and deservedly--awaits.

The momentum of King's Disease II's eventual first half results in some lag to the finish line, but whether it's inspired singles ("Rare"), fresh collaborations, new ideas or bejeweled one-liners ("How you expect to get love if you don't show none?"), King Nas serves up another reminder that he's no pretender to the throne. The wild ambition has just evolved into calculated wisdom.

By paying proper homage to his soul elders, while also employing more distinctly subtle singing and a greater relatability via his plainspoken lyrics, Smith sets himself apart with 1634 Lexington Avenue.

The Toronto, ON four-piece deliver their structurally intricate tunes with unhinged ferocity, the raw arrangements never deviating from the outfit's basic live setup of bass, pummelling drums and twin distorted guitars.

Fans of Frusciante's solo career will love this latest addition to his catalogue; it's one of his strongest releases to date.

The 11 pieces featured on The Flower and the Vessel are surprisingly complex, given Atkinson's delicate approach to her music. It is a powerful combination; she's able to present work that is at times genuinely difficult, but because it's performed with such careful subtlety, there isn't a single sharp edge to be found on the album's 70 minutes.

On False Idols, Tricky steps forward with a renewed confidence, proving himself equal parts mentor and maestro.

The fact that AraabMuzik isn't afraid to collaborate with up-and-comers (working on songs with Riot Ten, WattzBeatz, Dvnk Sinatrv) and bring in guest vocalists (Mikey Ceaser, Baauer, Raiche) gives Dream World a diverse mixtape feel that stems from and reflects the mind of a truly singular force.

Raven's unstructured, experimental feel may be unsettling for some, but the project's only other downside is that eventually, it ends.

There isn't a dull moment on this album.

While long-gone are the sonic textures of the band's early years — replaced here with some novel and resourceful instrumentation — the group's second (and now longest) run has been unbelievably solid and unimpeachable.

As their most viscerally intense release thus far, Kiss My Super Bowl Ring has the Garden screaming as much as they are singing, and transitioning between the two within a matter of seconds. Somehow, the Shears brothers are able to make it work.

The finely curated production on Slime Language 2 provides a perfect snapshot of the evolution of Atlanta's sound.

There is certainly an urgency here; a difficult album to ignore.

Townsend takes his fusion of weighty progressive metal and string, horn and choir sections to lofty heights here, not unlike what he achieved with Epicloud and Sky Blue.

As I Lay Dying bring no surprises to the table, they just continue to hone their craft and do it better than the countless clones that have popped up in their wake.

Pomegranate is sharp and vibrant, like a pulled pin it explodes lofty ideas and ideals, dreams sold to us by mainstream culture and reigning ideologies, and offers the everyday as something worth celebrating.

With each piece of childhood minutiae recollected, the divide shrinks, and there's a triumphant sense of something starting anew. Sparks flying.

Although Dedicated might be a more comprehensive piece of work as a whole, Side B is so impressively strong that it could easily be a continuation of the album (its B-side, even). Side B is brimming with starry-eyed euphoria, glittery synth-pop confections and her characteristically odd lyrical syntax.

Continuing to age gracefully, Deftones deliver an emotionally divided release with Gore, one that will continue to endear and swing with your own mood--however you're feeling.

Solo productions add ballast to an already solid outing; Knock Knock deserves your response.